Current perspectives on video and audio recording inside the surgical operating room: results of a cross-disciplinary survey

The availability of intraoperative multimedia recording is increasing. Considering the growing call for physicians’ accountability, it is inevitable that multimedia will play an important role in aiding quality control by improving the adequacy of operative reporting. However, the perspectives of medical professionals on this matter are poorly known. In this cross-disciplinary survey, we aimed to investigate the current viewpoints concerning the use of multimedia recording in the operating room. We conducted an electronic survey among all affiliated members of the Association of Surgeons of the Netherlands, the Dutch Urological Association and the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology containing questions regarding current use of intraoperative recording and the level of likelihood or objection for certain scenarios. The response rate was 27.8%. The survey encompasses 370 (54.5%) surgeons, 71 (10.5%) urologists, 80 (11.8%) gynecologists, and 158 (23.3%) residents in training. 52.4% of respondents feel that the currently used operative report is insufficient for future quality requirements. 58.5% think it is unlikely they would behave differently during surgery when intra-operative video recording is applied. 82.8% think it is unlikely that their surgical methods would be altered. 63.8% of respondents preferred only video registration when intraoperative recording is implemented. The majority of respondents agree that the current method of operative reporting is insufficient for future quality requirements. There is support for intraoperative video recording, however, legal transparency is needed before either intraoperative video or audio recording could be implemented to protect not only the patients, but also the healthcare providers. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13304-020-00902-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.